Autism Spectrum Disorders Explained

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) cover a variety of behaviors and abilities and are caused by abnormal brain development. While ASDs begin when the individual is a child, they will last throughout the individual’s life. Most individuals with ASDs will display a lack of social skills, as well as communication skills. While these individuals with ASDs may have a variety of different behaviors, each individual is unlike another. While the symptoms may be severe in one individual, they may be very mild in another. The following are some common behaviors emitted by individuals diagnosed with an ASD.

Generally, individuals diagnosed with ASDs will not want to socialize with others. Some things you may notice are a lack of eye contact with others, preferring to do activities by themselves, and they may not want to be touched. Depending upon the severity of the symptoms, some individuals may not even notice when others speak to them or are trying to get their attention. In mild cases, it may be that an individual will simply not understand how to relate to others and in case of a young child, they may not know how to play with other children.

When it comes to communication skills, more often than not, individuals with ASDs will show lack of development in these areas, as well. Many children that have been diagnosed with ASDs do not talk at all. Some may display a repetitive speech, such as echolalia, where they repeat the words that are said to them. Instead of answering a question, they’ll simply repeat what was asked of them. A child with ASDs may be able to talk and then at a later date, stop talking altogether.

Other communication behaviors may be a flat tone to their voice and they may not be able to control how loud or softly they talk. They may have a hard time sticking to a topic of discussion for a long time and they may also show a lack of listening skills. Some may stand too close to someone they are talking to, as well as talking a lot and not letting someone else get a chance to talk.

Individuals with ASDs may also display repetitive actions. It might be that they have to line their items on their nightstand up perfectly before going to bed or it may be they simply have to stick to a certain routine. Any change in this routine may upset them badly and throw them off kilter. These repetitive behaviors become very important to them.

The fact is that children who have been diagnosed with ASDs simply develop differently than those without ASDs. While they may exhibit motor skills that are similar to other children their age, their language and social skills may be severely underdeveloped compared to others. Children with ASDs might be able to put together a very intricate puzzle, but have a hard time making friends.

The symptoms of ASDs may become less severe over time or perhaps become more pronounced. Again, while there are many symptoms associated with ASDs, each individual that is diagnosed will display varying degrees of each one.